Shredder's underrated introduction from 1990's live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I watched Mutant Mayhem over the weekend (which was great). I haven't watched the 1990 movie in years, but I was suddenly reminded how powerful this scene is for what is ostensibly a silly action movie for kids: the elongated shadow, the percussive score with ominous electric guitar accents, the camera tracking down from its starting position to sweep in behind him, the light gleaming from the blades on his helmet as he slowly turns to scan the room, and the ritualistic unrolling of the cape from his shoulders. All in a single, imposing 75-second take.
This is a core memory movie for me. I watched it so much i nearly demagnetized the tape.
Yes. Tape.
And i know all the words to the Pizza Hut commercial that came before the movie:
Off in the distance / the game's dragging on. / There's strikes on the batter / some runners are on. / When suddenly everyone's looking at me. / My mind has been wondering "What could it be?" / They point to the sky and I look up above / and a baseball falls intoooo my glooooove! / I / play / right-field, it's important to know / you gotta know how to pitch, / you gotta know how to throw. / That's why I play in right field / way out where the dandelions groooooow.
I had the exact same VHS tape, which is the only reason that I know that it's "you gotta know how to catch" instead of "pitch", and I think it's also "it's important ya know".